authentik vs Keycloak
authentik
authentik is an open-source identity provider focused on flexibility and versatility. It supports SAML, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, LDAP, SCIM, and RADIUS protocols. It provides a modern UI for user self-service, admin management, and can act as a full identity provider or authentication proxy.
Pros
- Fully open source with active development
- Modern, polished admin UI
- Supports all major identity protocols
- Easy Docker/Kubernetes deployment
- Flexible flow-based authentication engine
Cons
- Younger project than Keycloak
- Smaller community and ecosystem
- Enterprise features require paid license
- Limited enterprise support options
Pricing: Free (Open Source) / Enterprise from contact
Keycloak
Keycloak is the open-source identity and access management platform backed by Red Hat. It provides SSO, federation, identity brokering, and social login for modern applications and services. Keycloak is the upstream project for Red Hat Build of Keycloak (the commercially supported version) and is widely deployed in both enterprise and community settings where full control over the identity stack is required.
Pros
- Free, fully open source, self-hosted forever
- Rich feature set comparable to commercial platforms
- Strong federation with LDAP and Active Directory
- Large community and extensive extension ecosystem
Cons
- Operational overhead of running it yourself
- Admin UI is functional but dated
- Requires expertise to deploy for high availability
- Upgrades between major versions can be painful
Pricing: Free (open source) / Red Hat Build of Keycloak via subscription